A Look At A Couple Of Handy Weather Apps Available On The Popular iPhone 4

The Apple iPhone 4 is well known for its versatility, thanks largely to the massive number of apps available for the handset which can be downloaded from the AppStore. This has apps from several different categories, and in this article I will look at a couple of the popular free offerings from the Weather category.

Most people will benefit from knowing the weather forecast, as it can make or break any plans you have as well as affect you work commitments, leisure activities and driving conditions. For this reason, having a good weather app on your iPhone 4 or 4S can prove very handy. Below I will look at a couple of the popular applications which can be downloaded for free.

Met OfficeThe Met Office is the UK's national meteorological service and is well known for its accuracy, and is familiar to many as the Met Office forecasts are used on most news programmes and newspapers. The Met Office now provides a free app which currently holds the top spot in the free Weather Apps in the UK AppStore chart. It provides a convenient way to stay informed about the weather as you do not need access to a television or newspaper. You simply need a Wi-Fi connection, or a 3G connection which is available in most parts of the UK. The app will automatically detect your location using the handset's built in GPS capabilities, and provide relevant weather data. You can also view data on a map of your current location and scroll through every hour to see predicted changes in the weather. The app has several handy features such as a 5 day view of your local forecast, as well as data illustrating the current temperature, and it even takes factors like wind chill into account to display the "real feel". Wind directions, temperatures and severe weather warnings are all provided in the easy to use interface. Given that the app is free, it makes a very useful addition to your iPhone 4, and eliminates the need to spend money on a newspaper to find out the weather forecast.

The Weather ChannelThis app works in a similar way to the Met Office app, but provides details of international weather forecasts. Simply enter the location you wish to check into the search bar, and all the relevant info will be displayed. This app has a couple of neat features like videos from various news channels, whenever a weather related story is available. As you can check the weather in most locations around the world, it is ideal if you are planning on travelling abroad, so you can pack appropriate clothes based on the weather. Like the Met Office app, there is a map view, but it is not restricted to your current location, allowing you to zoom into any location to view the weather forecast.

Both of these apps have their differences, but because they are free there is no reason not to download both. Therefore you are covered should you need to check either the local or international forecasts. There are of course several other weather apps available in the AppStore, but the two covered in this article are great starting points and perfectly showcase the versatility of smartphones like the iPhone 4.